


* desperate souls.

by thegrandvezir



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 06:25:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2057286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrandvezir/pseuds/thegrandvezir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You are lucky you even managed to drag me here.”</p><p>Emma is still upset after Neal's death, though she's not ready to admit it. Lucky for her, Hook is already perfectly aware of what's going through her head, though his solution of choice might not be what's best for the savior.</p>
            </blockquote>





	* desperate souls.

**Author's Note:**

> No idea whether I'll post more chapters of this, but go ahead & enjoy them being cute together \m/!

“You are lucky you even managed to drag me here.”

A blonde-haired woman strode into the café, eyes glowing expectantly as she gazed up at the man waiting for her. She was wearing her bright red jacket and dark blue jeans, a style that was plenty discreet compared to the male’s offer.

“Apologies, Swan,” he smiled, moving to wrap one arm around her. She shrugged him away, but he didn’t seem to quite notice. “Wasn’t aware of your strong distaste of getting up at the same time the sun does.”

“Aren’t I a night owl,” she sighed, but her lips were already curving into a hesitant smile. Finally she allowed him to guide her towards a booth at the one edge of the café, the same one they’d occupied that night.

But was there even much point in referring to it as “that night”? Was what’d happened so special? During one of their very first conversations, what she had admitted to this man had been the fact that she’d never been in love. And then she’d found Neal. Only to lose him again. Reality might have begged to differ, though she was still stubbornly clinging to that same belief. Love wasn’t something she would ever have a lot of experience in.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he interrupted her thoughts, jolting her back to the present. His voice was like silk, the words flowing out of his mouth and writhing around her until he had completely captivated her attention. Glancing sideways at him, she saw the same look reflected in his eyes. “It’s not worth it.”

“What do you know about things worthy of thinking about?” she huffed, and immediately knew it wasn’t a retort she should have let slip. “Hook..” she began, then trailed off again. He was seated opposite her, his gaze boring into her, and she failed to return his stare. “I’m sorry. But I’m in this alone.”

“Now, even if that were true,” he began, one eyebrow arched, “I would still insist on doing this. Which brings us back to my original point; I know what you’re thinking.” This time he paused, wrapping his one hand around both of hers where they were resting on top of the table. Under different circumstances, she would have pulled them back, but she was distracted by his voice as he continued. “Perhaps ‘not worth it’ is too much to start with. How about, think about it later?” A small smile was playing at his lips, prompting her to return it. “Say, when I am not buying you coffee.”

He turned to nod politely as the woman offered him a glass filled with the precious brown liquid, white cream floating on top. Sweet-scented cinnamon was dotted around it. A tiny sigh escaped her mouth, and she forced herself to smile as he handed the cup to her.

“Aren’t you such a gentleman,” she commented, setting the cup down in front of her.

“As much as you are a night owl,” he retorted, and offered her another dazzling smile before following her gaze to look down at the cup. “I believe I am bold enough to say, finishing that is not a request.” He nodded at it, then glanced up at her. “It’s a demand.”

“You’re sprightly today,” she insisted, obediently bringing the cup up to her lips. Though she only took a tiny sip, she immediately felt grateful. While she was nowhere close to admitting it, Hook’s idea of starting the morning off in an otherwise completely empty diner wasn’t turning out to be quite as bad as she’d anticipated. Perhaps this was what it took to take her mind off what she fretted would always be there to occupy her thoughts. It was simple, but then again, if anybody could believe the most simplest of things made a difference, it was her.

“I lost him too, you know.” His statement came as a surprise to her, and she stopped mid-sip to stare at him. “Baelfire,” he continued, before pausing, as if to reconsider his words. “Neal. I’m just as troubled as you are.”

One eyebrow arched, an expression he often seemed to wear, she glanced at him with newly-sparked interest. “Now that’s one confession. Don’t tell me you’d been in love with him too.” The smile she flashed at him lasted for barely a heartbeat, before she looked down again. “Hook, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, trust me. It’s just..”

All traces of his previously good-humoured aura gone, he tilted his head at her, an earnest expression in his eyes. Then he leaned forward, brushing a stray lock of her hair out of her face. “What is it?”

For a moment her vision blurred, and her lips quivered, and it was clear that he believed she was about to open up to him.

But the next second, she shook her head, as if to chase away any and all thoughts that were about to be formed into words. Then she allowed herself another sip of her coffee before continuing. “Milah,” was all she could pronounce, and the puzzled look she got from him in return confirmed that it hadn’t been enough. “When you lost her. When.. Gold took her from you.”

“Killed, is what I’m assuming you’re trying to say, love,” he corrected, his voice suddenly distant.

Nodding slowly, she set the cup down again. “When Gold killed her,” she uttered, the word giving a new, odd taste to the air. “How did you do it? How did you move on?”

For several moments she could only look at him as he sat in silence, for once his eyes avoiding hers. He appeared to be lost in thought, and she knew he was reliving the moment his life seemed to lose its purpose. Except, the subtle gesture of his legs crossing underneath the table betrayed the fact that, he was well aware of what was happening around him, of the amount of seconds ticking by with him refusing to answer her question. He wasn’t trapped in his thoughts, watching as a terrible series of nightmares flashed by. He was trying to decide whether his answer was something he ought to allow to escape into the open air of consciousness. He knew that once it was out, there was no taking it back.

“I didn’t,” he finally said, dragging his gaze off the ground to lock her in a stare she couldn’t seem to be able to tear her own eyes away from. “I didn’t move on. I allowed vengeance to take control of my life. I was driven from it. It was the only thing that kept me going.” Sighing, he shook his head. “But it’s not a path I’d like to see you sailing down, Swan.”


End file.
